tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008460542484673052018-03-05T17:08:30.867-05:00Music With Mrs. TanenblattMrs. Tanenblatt's personal teaching blog, filled with songs, games, and activities for the elementary music room. Visit often to find new lesson plans and links to teaching ideas that you can implement in your classroom tomorrow! Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-26815842713535530772018-02-19T15:44:00.001-05:002018-02-19T15:44:52.709-05:00Left Hand on Top!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For many elementary music teachers, the new calendar year coincides with the start of a unit on playing the recorder. If you're like me, you teach recorders to third graders for several reasons: as a way to reinforce their knowledge of absolute note names, to prepare them for band instruments they can play in the future, and to get their hands on an affordable, accessible, rewarding musical instrument.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the biggest hurdles I find when teaching recorder is getting my students to remember which hand goes on top of the instrument. Despite posting reminders around my classroom, there's always a few students who instinctively use their right hand when playing B-A-G. I recently polled the members of a music teachers facebook group to see how they model the left hand for their students.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J2gL5Pjp4LM/Wos2Ll53giI/AAAAAAAABok/rhOArX9CMFIL2_7Xo_W-B8adKv3JFjCgwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-02-19%2Bat%2B3.17.56%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="445" height="261" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J2gL5Pjp4LM/Wos2Ll53giI/AAAAAAAABok/rhOArX9CMFIL2_7Xo_W-B8adKv3JFjCgwCLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-02-19%2Bat%2B3.17.56%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The results were clear that most teachers value modeling the proper technique. What do we do, then, for the kids who still just don't "get it" and can't remember which hand to use? As a way to help them remember (and hopefully get the correct posture into their muscle memory), I created "Left Hand on Top" wristbands! You can download them for free in my store:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Left-Hand-on-Top-Wristbands-3662861" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gFRihZ6fpz0/Wosyu0Tof1I/AAAAAAAABn0/AWD_IfYC7wUMDdBMPJ7SYmtdLIqEFpIDACLcBGAs/s400/cover.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After using them for a few years, I've found a few tricks that help me to use them most effectively. It's all about preparation. On the day that I introduce the wristbands, I want to be able to quickly and efficiently get one on each child. I have to be the one to place it on each wrist because otherwise they will inevitably end up on the wrong side.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BvIIamsxfBA/Wos0IKxiz-I/AAAAAAAABoI/J3G-0yZyzVEltU_UkDfrFz1STGkJwImIgCLcBGAs/s1600/20180215_111734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BvIIamsxfBA/Wos0IKxiz-I/AAAAAAAABoI/J3G-0yZyzVEltU_UkDfrFz1STGkJwImIgCLcBGAs/s320/20180215_111734.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In order to prep them as much as possible, I cut them all out ahead of time and place a piece of clear tape on each one so it's ready. All I have to do is wrap it around the child's wrist and it's done. But what do you do with 25 paper wristbands that each have a piece of tape hanging off of them? This year I came up with a system to store the wristbands that already have tape on them so that they are ready to peel and stick: I attach them all to the clear plastic cover of a three ring binder!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F-Uy9JSUQak/Wos0A6WzolI/AAAAAAAABoA/_9ARqDN4mFo0OdbaqKBx348VpCPyeidtgCLcBGAs/s1600/20180215_111803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F-Uy9JSUQak/Wos0A6WzolI/AAAAAAAABoA/_9ARqDN4mFo0OdbaqKBx348VpCPyeidtgCLcBGAs/s320/20180215_111803.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Before the class comes in, I just bring the binder over to my classroom door. I have them line up outside my room and announce that today they will be entering "Club Recorder." It is a very exclusive club and to be a member they must wear their exclusive recorder wristband. Then I instruct them to hold out their left hand and tape a wristband on each student as they enter the room.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-79a4XgFzPDw/Wos0EIbpkmI/AAAAAAAABoU/F8W9YPfL9FIzeluQ7ig5vI4vXtaqDdFRgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180215_112507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-79a4XgFzPDw/Wos0EIbpkmI/AAAAAAAABoU/F8W9YPfL9FIzeluQ7ig5vI4vXtaqDdFRgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180215_112507.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My students are always excited when they get to be part of an "exclusive club" and they love having the wristbands. When taping them on, I make sure to wrap the wristband so that the blank side gets covered up and the words are on the outer portion. For most kids, they only need the physical experience of wearing the wristband once to remember the proper hand position. For others, I will save extras in case they need to wear it during the next class.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ztRMcjEGhWY/Wos0MMNcYZI/AAAAAAAABoc/5RolSHNRIU4j5dEwb4tpJOyG-5uJZXa8ACEwYBhgL/s320/20180215_123229.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Works like a charm!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></a></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-41292377552025548132018-02-16T07:05:00.000-05:002018-02-16T07:05:10.416-05:00Bounce High, Bounce Low: A Favorite Game to Teach La<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ttnPStOrUlY/WoBdsurzhSI/AAAAAAAABlg/aGsQq46u7dc7MX9L4Yxg-ocYL8Lz8OsGgCLcBGAs/s1600/bonceheader.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ttnPStOrUlY/WoBdsurzhSI/AAAAAAAABlg/aGsQq46u7dc7MX9L4Yxg-ocYL8Lz8OsGgCLcBGAs/s640/bonceheader.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This time of year, my first graders are usually getting ready to add <i>la</i> to their melodic arsenal. They've been practicing <i>so-mi</i> songs for a while and it's time for the next step in their learning sequence. Since I completed my Kodály Level I last summer, I learned a lot about selecting quality songs to prepare, present, and practice <i>la</i>. I'm writing about one of my favorites today:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3CKUviFjMR4/Wn-cZgnQwNI/AAAAAAAABkk/pvwrEibzpaE3YDGU6xIDtouV3owuHPQGgCLcBGAs/s1600/bounce%2Bhigh%2Bbounce%2Blow.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="1600" height="227" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3CKUviFjMR4/Wn-cZgnQwNI/AAAAAAAABkk/pvwrEibzpaE3YDGU6xIDtouV3owuHPQGgCLcBGAs/s640/bounce%2Bhigh%2Bbounce%2Blow.png" width="640" /></a></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Prepare</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a great song to prepare <i>la</i>. For those of you who are not familiar with the Kodály method, there are three stages to learning a new concept: prepare, present, and practice. During the prepare stage, the students are playing games and singing songs that include the new concept but they haven't made it conscious yet. The prepare stage is all about exposure and aural immersion. When preparing a new concept, I like to use songs that invite lots and lots of repetition, and it doesn't get much more repetitive than Bounce High, Bounce Low!&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For this stage, I like to play the classic playground game, Over Under. Any time I can bring a playground ball into my music room, my kids go nuts! (When I taught on a cart, I would modify this by playing using something smaller like a tennis ball and they still loved it.) My musical version is slightly different from the traditional game. Here's a video version of the original:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/w-EkRQWgFUw/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w-EkRQWgFUw?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The object of the game is for the students to pass the ball backwards around the entire circle without dropping it. Have students stand in a large circle, all facing the same direction. Make sure there is plenty of room between each child. Choose one student to hold the ball to start. The students will pass the ball on the second and fourth beat of each measure (either on a <i>la</i> or on a <i>mi</i>.) If passing on the high note, the student must pass it over her head, and if passing on the low note, the student must pass it between her legs. The student behind her needs to be paying attention and ready to catch it because otherwise it's easy to drop the ball in this game- literally!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A common pitfall with this game is that the students get so excited about passing the ball that they forget to match it up with the pitches as they go. I will assist with the singing or play the pitches on a melodic instrument so that they can clearly hear how it is meant to align. If they start passing slowly I slow the tempo of the song to match. Likewise, if they are in a groove and passing faster, I will sing faster to match.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once a class has mastered the large circle formation, I will let them play it competitively. I will break the class up into two or three teams and give each team a ball. Instead of standing in a circle they stand in a line and the object is to get the ball from the front to the back.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For an added level of complexity, you can lengthen this game: when the ball gets to the back of the line, the last person has to run up to the front and start it over again. This continues until every player on the team has had a turn to be up front.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This can get chaotic with different teams singing the songs at different tempi, so if the noise is too much for your class, you can have each team go one at a time and use a timer to see which team can perform it the fastest.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Present</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After several weeks of singing a variety of songs that include <i>la</i>, it's time to formally present the concept. In my Kodály level I class, I learned that a good song for presenting a concept needs to meet certain criteria. First, it should contain mostly known concepts. In this case, the known melodic material is <i>so</i> and <i>mi</i>. There should only be one instance of the new note, preferably appearing close to the end of the song. Since Bounce High, Bounce Low is such a short song, it doesn't fit this criterion perfectly, but I've had success using it nonetheless. (Some other good <i>la</i> present songs: Bell Horses, Snail Snail, Lucy Locket, Hickety Tickety Bumble Bee.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When the new note occurs, it should be surrounded by its closest known neighboring pitch. This means that songs including the<i> mi-la</i> leap are too difficult to use for present songs. It's best to find songs that go from <i>so</i> to <i>la</i> directly.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once your kiddos know the song very well (and after playing the game for a few weeks, they definitely will!) they are ready for the present lesson. You start by deriving the rhythm on the board. For this reason, you always want to pick songs with familiar rhythms when doing a formal present lesson. My first graders learned ta and ta-ti at the beginning of the school year, so this song meets the criteria perfectly.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4u0wMXzdHT8/WobIfHTl_OI/AAAAAAAABmc/R6XyRZjuTf02DSznNLqEQMQtXFKyi3FkQCLcBGAs/s1600/bounce3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1220" height="261" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4u0wMXzdHT8/WobIfHTl_OI/AAAAAAAABmc/R6XyRZjuTf02DSznNLqEQMQtXFKyi3FkQCLcBGAs/s400/bounce3.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After they derive the rhythm, you will add the solfege pitches underneath. You always want to go from the known to the unknown: first finding all the <i>sos</i> and <i>mis</i>, and then finding the new note.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vkAjZKGbYaE/WobIk0CWZFI/AAAAAAAABmg/rQpLxtQ55cUu6assXpToATl8cH0GkzAswCLcBGAs/s1600/bounce4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="1189" height="141" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vkAjZKGbYaE/WobIk0CWZFI/AAAAAAAABmg/rQpLxtQ55cUu6assXpToATl8cH0GkzAswCLcBGAs/s400/bounce4.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The students should be able to aurally distinguish the fact that the new note is higher than <i>so</i>. At this point, you give the new note a name, <i>la,</i> and show the students how to label it and sing it. I also use this time to teach the Curwen hand sign that goes with it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7BD2x97s8OA/WobIo0dd5MI/AAAAAAAABmk/3FlqHQpylfsD_ywlfv7F-_Z8p65n0ddvQCLcBGAs/s1600/bounce5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="1189" height="141" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7BD2x97s8OA/WobIo0dd5MI/AAAAAAAABmk/3FlqHQpylfsD_ywlfv7F-_Z8p65n0ddvQCLcBGAs/s400/bounce5.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Practice</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The final step in the sequence is to practice the new note. With Bounce High, Bounce Low, I like to take advantage of the fact that a bouncy ball fits perfectly like a note on the staff! I use it as iconic notation and show a large ball for quarter note and two smaller balls for paired eighth notes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xn9QsOnJ3xU/Wn-18YT5yvI/AAAAAAAABlM/eHPgTiLEvG0pEq627qZc4Wxs6GloMeJ0ACLcBGAs/s1600/bounce1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="494" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xn9QsOnJ3xU/Wn-18YT5yvI/AAAAAAAABlM/eHPgTiLEvG0pEq627qZc4Wxs6GloMeJ0ACLcBGAs/s640/bounce1.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6O9-rI974Zk/Wn-11-xmBNI/AAAAAAAABlI/jg6UROqkj68JwtVi77ESJ8URn8ZoI_CGACLcBGAs/s1600/bounce2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="494" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6O9-rI974Zk/Wn-11-xmBNI/AAAAAAAABlI/jg6UROqkj68JwtVi77ESJ8URn8ZoI_CGACLcBGAs/s640/bounce2.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's plenty of other ways to practice <i>la</i> as well: reading and writing the note, singing solfa games, improvising on instruments, playing a melodic ostinato, etc. This is the stage in the process where small group centers and individual work can be used to reinforce learning as well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Have fun teaching musical concepts through this great game!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-21707456332573218002018-02-05T13:52:00.000-05:002018-02-05T23:15:14.448-05:00Teaching Melodic Contour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hello all, it's great to be back! I came back to work from maternity leave a few weeks ago. Baby Tanenblatt was born in October and is absolutely perfect. Now I'm learning how to navigate life as a working mom and every day certainly brings its new challenges.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EHxrUQAZFWk/WninpdGn_9I/AAAAAAAABjw/Zuno5H0QAAEnFEZ5snHWp2Pw4_uGSCBcACLcBGAs/s1600/Melodic%2Bcontour.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1600" height="215" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EHxrUQAZFWk/WninpdGn_9I/AAAAAAAABjw/Zuno5H0QAAEnFEZ5snHWp2Pw4_uGSCBcACLcBGAs/s400/Melodic%2Bcontour.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of my favorite ways to tackle challenging teaching situations is through collaboration, and this month I'm collaborating with some fantastic music teachers to share our favorite tools for teaching melodic concepts. Today I'm going to share with you some of my favorite tricks for teaching melodic contour. Please note that this post contains Amazon affiliate links and I receive a small commission from items purchased through the links.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When teaching melodic contour, I find that a lot of young students get confused with the language. They hear high and low and confuse it with loud and soft. By actively engaging them in listening and singing, I find that this confusion generally clears up after a few lessons. I usually use a combination of the tools listed below to help my students understand what upward and downward melodic direction really means.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Slide Whistle</b></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My slide whistle has been one of my favorite additions to my classroom this year. I introduced it to my Kindergarteners at the beginning of this school year and their faces just lit up the first time they heard it!&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C39UyHzJPvo/Wnihwk45tTI/AAAAAAAABjU/yNP7DldmD_AgdEO2zmHNcdD87gU4A9nuQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180202_163747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C39UyHzJPvo/Wnihwk45tTI/AAAAAAAABjU/yNP7DldmD_AgdEO2zmHNcdD87gU4A9nuQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180202_163747.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Students always love listening to patterns that I play. I will play a glissando on the whistle and then ask the students to show the direction that the melody is going. Once I feel like they all understand the difference between upwards and downwards motion, I make each example more complicated, involving lots of high and low leaps. I ask students to act them out by standing/sitting or waving their arms to show the high and low sounds. If you're looking for an inexpensive slide whistle to play, you can try this one:&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=muswitmrstan-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B003B0YEZ8&amp;asins=B003B0YEZ8&amp;linkId=8ac43436b9015b3ab80af5d7009ccd28&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pitched Percussion</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love to use my pitched percussion instruments to reinforce melodic contour as well. I love to use Boomwhackers for this: I'll line up eight kids each with one scale degree and have them play up and down the major scale. We compare the size of the tubes to the pitch they produce to tie-in to the science of sound. I make them wait and only tap their tube when someone points to them, so one person gets to be the conductor and the eight kids playing love to "be a note" and play on their turn. We will do this along with simple songs that outline the steps to the major scale, such as The Snowman, Ebeneezer Sneezer, and Down, Down, Yellow and Brown. If you don't have Boomwhackers, the same thing can be done with handbells or tone bars.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Vocal Exploration</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A great way to help students make a visual connection is by displaying vocal explorations. A friend of mine gave me these great pathways that she made out of paper and I have fun going "old school" using them.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s7L4Q_DZ-I4/WnidxwydUrI/AAAAAAAABiE/y80VqLsX6ckJN_RvLIZLtEpMCrHufWnNACLcBGAs/s1600/20180202_163652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s7L4Q_DZ-I4/WnidxwydUrI/AAAAAAAABiE/y80VqLsX6ckJN_RvLIZLtEpMCrHufWnNACLcBGAs/s320/20180202_163652.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I typically designate one student to be the leader and he or she will guide us through singing the shape. I usually have students singing along on a neutral vowel, such as "oo." I will have my leader use a pointer or hold a manipulative (for example, a big foam snowflake in the winter time) to show where we are along the line.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5GVeO5sa-nQ/WnihwYDImnI/AAAAAAAABjQ/bCRi5KDvAroqnjI1syNoB7Bop8aSSESTgCLcBGAs/s1600/20180202_163705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5GVeO5sa-nQ/WnihwYDImnI/AAAAAAAABjQ/bCRi5KDvAroqnjI1syNoB7Bop8aSSESTgCLcBGAs/s320/20180202_163705.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been keeping these red shapes attached to my dry erase board with magnets and when they're not in use, I just push them off to the side. Then, my older students all want to know what those big red things are for and we have fun playing with them, too!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you are more interested in a high-tech version, there are lots of vocal explorations available for download on TpT that you can project.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X-zCcCl0mMQ/WnigPyhAJAI/AAAAAAAABik/5XZfRhrQU-AUOEOuIEV-3fQa6ivnKwLrQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-02-05%2Bat%2B1.16.12%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="666" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X-zCcCl0mMQ/WnigPyhAJAI/AAAAAAAABik/5XZfRhrQU-AUOEOuIEV-3fQa6ivnKwLrQCLcBGAs/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-02-05%2Bat%2B1.16.12%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bBUaQNvftqY/WnigPxC5bOI/AAAAAAAABio/FwXguuom-N8jQpeOQJHoXPuUioVMF7r2wCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-02-05%2Bat%2B1.16.29%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="665" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bBUaQNvftqY/WnigPxC5bOI/AAAAAAAABio/FwXguuom-N8jQpeOQJHoXPuUioVMF7r2wCLcBGAs/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-02-05%2Bat%2B1.16.29%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span id="goog_2093935033"></span><span id="goog_2093935034"></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of my favorites is <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Flying-Freddie-Vocal-Explorations-1999498" target="_blank">Flying Freddie</a>, an animated version where students can follow the little aviator as his airplane goes up and down.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="clear: both;">Otamatone</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">OK, I will admit that I have a bit of an impulse shopping problem. I saw a video demonstration of this little guy last year and just had to have it for my classroom:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lChH6gP80Tw/WnihvXzNyWI/AAAAAAAABjA/KnTQuaaO010WyCvBlAAs65kcpPiLjuxKQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180202_163550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lChH6gP80Tw/WnihvXzNyWI/AAAAAAAABjA/KnTQuaaO010WyCvBlAAs65kcpPiLjuxKQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180202_163550.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />It's an electronic instrument and has a crazy sounding timbre that kids love. You can play melodies on the neck of the instrument and it has a little switch on the back to change between low, medium, and high octaves. You can play distinct notes or glide up and down to create a flowy melody. Students can listen and respond by stretching up high or down low. No written explanation can really do this thing justice, so here's a video demonstration by the manufacturer:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qecPQ0FB-64/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qecPQ0FB-64?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><br /></div><br />The Otamatone is a fun teaching tool and also a great behavior incentive: as soon as students hear it they all immediately want to get their hands on it! (Can you blame them?) I'll announce to a class that when they line up, I'm looking for three students who walk calmly and quietly to their spot in line. Those three will get to play a short melody for their peers.<br /><br />If you are as crazy as I am, you can get one on Amazon. There's several different sizes and colors available. This is the one I use:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=muswitmrstan-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B00MRJ8GXK&amp;asins=B00MRJ8GXK&amp;linkId=4f79aa75861a09f219d763655e343954&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br /><br /></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yarn Composition/Improvisation</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A few weeks ago, my local Kodály chapter, <a href="https://musikchapter.weebly.com/" target="_blank">MUSIK</a>, hosted a free workshop at Loyola University. One of the presenters was the incomparable Amy Weishaar who shared a breadth of information on creating multisensory lessons for students with learning disabilities. One of the greatest takeaways for me was a demonstration that she led using yarn to compose and improvise. Every student gets a length of yarn to show their melody and she also suggests giving each child a felt square for a backing so it has something to cling to.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z5G11P1qwLA/WnihuLP22aI/AAAAAAAABjg/mqsEz6aiRV4u2NP5TCjwe-Ja3od8aietgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180202_162742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z5G11P1qwLA/WnihuLP22aI/AAAAAAAABjg/mqsEz6aiRV4u2NP5TCjwe-Ja3od8aietgCEwYBhgL/s200/20180202_162742.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BjpAVvMUa-Q/WnihuNuLseI/AAAAAAAABjg/Q2pTJkG7Tp876mJXq8MiHy-t0MWbzialgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180202_162812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BjpAVvMUa-Q/WnihuNuLseI/AAAAAAAABjg/Q2pTJkG7Tp876mJXq8MiHy-t0MWbzialgCEwYBhgL/s200/20180202_162812.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fPYe0POHons/WnihuDgBWPI/AAAAAAAABjc/4XUbeipdJycJjhjBMI6C8LdRETWBMm2cgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180202_162838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fPYe0POHons/WnihuDgBWPI/AAAAAAAABjc/4XUbeipdJycJjhjBMI6C8LdRETWBMm2cgCEwYBhgL/s200/20180202_162838.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-03O0-vLfrPU/Wnihvvs-vlI/AAAAAAAABjg/z8jrzkf1tqMbJnFVfOugvDaAdyDHQ9GaQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180202_162911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-03O0-vLfrPU/Wnihvvs-vlI/AAAAAAAABjg/z8jrzkf1tqMbJnFVfOugvDaAdyDHQ9GaQCEwYBhgL/s200/20180202_162911.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After children have created their melody, they can sing it or play it on an instrument, exploring the high and low sounds they can produce. She suggested using the black keys of a piano keyboard so that it will be a pentatonic melody. You could also do this the opposite way and sing/play a melody, then ask the students to manipulate the yarn to show what they heard.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hope this collection of ideas sparks something new for you. It's always great to find new ways to teach a basic concept like melodic direction. Do you have another kinesthetic, aural, or visual way to teach melodic direction? Please share in the comments!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-48074473192151633802017-09-18T19:09:00.002-04:002017-09-18T19:10:02.272-04:00Arrrrr Ye Ready to Talk Like a Pirate?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tomorrow is my favorite holiday: International Talk Like a Pirate Day! (It's a <a href="http://talklikeapirate.com/wordpress/" target="_blank">real thing</a>, I swear!)&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LF0jCDZZxyI/WcBDml8eosI/AAAAAAAABa0/JaONRtBLkSIKndl8bbEDz_1hL1ykEwa7wCLcBGAs/s1600/12028815_10205002102477439_4735775832991518746_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LF0jCDZZxyI/WcBDml8eosI/AAAAAAAABa0/JaONRtBLkSIKndl8bbEDz_1hL1ykEwa7wCLcBGAs/s320/12028815_10205002102477439_4735775832991518746_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love pirates (and really any excuse to dress up and speak in a funny accent) so I usually bring the celebration into my classroom for the week and make sure all of my lessons are infused with a certain amount of pirattitude.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This year I've added a few new pirate activities to my arsenal, which the kids at my new school have loved so far. I'll share three new pirate activities with you today:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Pass the Parrot</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is based on a folk dance, "The Chair and Broom." I read about it recently on facebook and also got to try at a Kodály workshop a few years ago. I'm told that the source is an out-of-print book called Backwoods Heritage by Martha Riley. It is a partner mixer dance, which means that as students go through they will end up with different partners each time. It's a great beginning folk dance and great for socialization.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The setup is one longways set with three students sitting in chairs in a row at the head. The child in the center holds a parrot (I didn't have a good parrot toy available so we used my rubber chicken with great success.) When the music starts, she chooses to either pass the parrot to the person seated to her right or left. Whomever she gives it to is going to remain seated. The child in the center gets up with the <i>other</i> child (the one<i> not </i>holding the parrot) and they sashay together down to the bottom of the set. Then, the child remaining at the head holding the parrot slides into the middle seat and the next person standing in each line in the longways set comes forward and takes a seat. The center child passes the parrot and the dance continues.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since the only dance move required is the sashay, it's pretty accessible for students of all ages. I did it with 2nd grade and higher today and everyone enjoyed it. It can be done to any jig. I forgot to bring my New England Dancing Masters CD to school today so I just pulled this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VR3SmuP9nc" target="_blank">Scottish jig medley </a>off YouTube and told the kids it was pirate music. They loved it!&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4VR3SmuP9nc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4VR3SmuP9nc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fire in the Hole!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For some rhythm review, I devised a simple game that uses flashcards and beanbags. I told the class that my rug was the pirate lagoon and we scattered rhythm flashcards all around the rug. One student would come stand on the edge of the rug and get to "fire the cannon," a.k.a. toss a beanbag onto the rug. Of course, before tossing it they had to shout "fire in the hole!" which made it infinitely more fun. When the beanbag landed on a card, the student had to pick it up, show it to the class and count us in as we all read it together. I used <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Black-White-Flashcards-Sixteenth-Notes-3395745" target="_blank">these black and white flashcards</a>, which I printed on colored paper and laminated.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Black-White-Flashcards-Sixteenth-Notes-3395745" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://ecdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Black-White-Flashcards-Sixteenth-Notes-3395745-1505683134/original-3395745-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Port Side Pirates!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm always looking to add more great illustrated children's books to my library and I recently discovered the delightful publisher, Barefoot Books. The great thing about Port Side Pirates is that the entire thing is a catchy song. It comes with a singalong CD, and what's even better is that the CD includes an instrumental-only track so that once your students know the song they can sing it themselves. The melody is also fully notated with sheet music and guitar tabs in the back of the book, which I love having for reference.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The song uses tons of really cool pirate vocabulary so I'd make sure to review things like port vs. starboard before singing and reading. If you want your own copy, it's available on Amazon. (Please note that this is an affiliate link, which means I receive a small commission off any purchases made by clicking below.)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=muswitmrstan-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=1846866677&amp;asins=1846866677&amp;linkId=129b6429e4016e935b76d6dc88bca30a&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hope some of these pirate activities spark your interest! For more piratey fun, check out my TLAPD post from 2015: <a href="http://mrstanenblatt.blogspot.com/2015/09/piratical-fun-in-music-room.html">Piratical Fun in the Music Room</a>.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-59385357643743028352017-09-12T17:15:00.000-04:002017-09-12T17:15:27.239-04:00Back to School 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We're baaack! By now, I'm sure everybody is getting back into the swing of things and starting up their school routines again. In Maryland, the kids didn't go back until after labor day. I've only had about a week of classes at this point, but it's been quite a busy time for me.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm at a new school in a different county so I have lots of changes and adjustments to make... all good ones, though! I'm now teaching full time at one school, five days a week! No more traveling between schools or teaching on a cart. I am somewhat sad that I won't be posting too much in my "Music on Wheels" series anymore, but maybe I'll continue to add to it in the future if I can think of some helpful advice from my time teaching on a cart.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For now, I'm focusing on setting up my classroom, getting to know all 800+ of my new students, and starting the school year off on a positive note! In case you missed it, a few days ago I posted a live video on facebook with a tour of my new classroom setup. You can watch it <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mrstanenblatt/videos/vb.236650413175408/688336631340115" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One more announcement: the other exciting thing happening this school year is my husband and I are expecting our first baby!&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3sKqGTGsk98/WbhKeQGj6ZI/AAAAAAAABaY/QTaqs0CMhpYBZC0sUcEdLBeSeON8au07gCLcBGAs/s1600/1504401747304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1199" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3sKqGTGsk98/WbhKeQGj6ZI/AAAAAAAABaY/QTaqs0CMhpYBZC0sUcEdLBeSeON8au07gCLcBGAs/s320/1504401747304.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">She's due in late October so this will definitely be a crazy school year as I prepare for my maternity leave. (The good kind of crazy, though!) Lots of exciting things going on in the upcoming months. I'll be sure to keep you posted about everything as this amazing school year unfolds.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-63117839537382122462017-03-22T05:30:00.000-04:002017-03-22T05:30:12.975-04:0031 Days of Rhythm: Engage Students with Rhythm Sudoku<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Can you believe that we are more than halfway through the month of March already? Spring is finally here and we are in the middle of celebrating Music in Our Schools Month! There is so much to be happy about!&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For today's post, I'm going to share a brilliant idea that I learned about several years ago at a workshop: Rhythm Sudoku.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R2glLEZntfw/WNHP-UCiDYI/AAAAAAAABWQ/kLAtjDJg9w0nR4wOx4cOf-r246l82EvGgCLcB/s1600/FB%2BTemplate%2B2%2Bcopy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R2glLEZntfw/WNHP-UCiDYI/AAAAAAAABWQ/kLAtjDJg9w0nR4wOx4cOf-r246l82EvGgCLcB/s400/FB%2BTemplate%2B2%2Bcopy.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you are anything like me, you probably first heard about Sudoku about eight years ago. Maybe you never really got into it because "math isn't your thing" (which is ironic because a Sudoku puzzle actually doesn't require any arithmetic.) Or maybe you have experience completing the puzzles and are wondering how on earth these number squares can relate to rhythm.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Either way, I'm happy to show you! In this post, I'll walk you through the steps required to make your own Rhythm Sudoku puzzle (or for those of you more results-oriented, you can <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rhythm-Sudoku-Interactive-PowerPoint-2630207" target="_blank">buy ready made ones in my store</a>. But that really does take all of the fun out of it, don't you think?)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b29lbftVtms/WNHI95tkG6I/AAAAAAAABV0/KdcZ6w6QsxQyyKC7v4ur0quSiLEv6d9_wCLcB/s1600/sudoku%2B1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b29lbftVtms/WNHI95tkG6I/AAAAAAAABV0/KdcZ6w6QsxQyyKC7v4ur0quSiLEv6d9_wCLcB/s640/sudoku%2B1.png" width="494" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A traditional Sudoku grid is 9x9, but we don't need to get quite so involved with ours! Let's make a 4x4 grid to start out. Once your puzzle is complete, you can think of it like a composition with four measures of four beats each.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ea9BO4wDGw8/WNHI96dprpI/AAAAAAAABVw/tq_LLowuY1oiRSbdAdNXe7Ph-1WRSYIRQCEw/s1600/sudoku%2B2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ea9BO4wDGw8/WNHI96dprpI/AAAAAAAABVw/tq_LLowuY1oiRSbdAdNXe7Ph-1WRSYIRQCEw/s640/sudoku%2B2.png" width="494" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This will be the most time-consuming portion, but once you get the hang of creating them, you should be able to create a puzzle in a minute or two.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You have to select four different rhythms to use in your puzzle. Start plugging them in the grid wherever they fit. You can't have the same rhythm twice in any row or column.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-encD_7XfZtE/WNHI9_ckDfI/AAAAAAAABV4/gr3aCCo6QuEtU-fRKojrqcgun2jWlmQ4wCEw/s1600/sudoku%2B3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-encD_7XfZtE/WNHI9_ckDfI/AAAAAAAABV4/gr3aCCo6QuEtU-fRKojrqcgun2jWlmQ4wCEw/s640/sudoku%2B3.png" width="494" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Make sure you make note of what your completed puzzle looks like. Then, you can erase most of the rhythms so that your puzzle is ready! The more squares you erase, the more difficult your puzzle will be. For beginner level puzzles, I like to make it so that at least one row or column can be solved immediately.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rPLgPHt4nQU/WNHLEkPwK6I/AAAAAAAABWA/vQhTiHkCdMQq63dan1Ngs5ZlztH0VxRswCLcB/s1600/sudoku%2B4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rPLgPHt4nQU/WNHLEkPwK6I/AAAAAAAABWA/vQhTiHkCdMQq63dan1Ngs5ZlztH0VxRswCLcB/s400/sudoku%2B4.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once you have created your puzzle, you are ready to share with your students. I like to create several puzzles of increasing difficulty levels to challenge my students as they are ready. Once they have solved the whole puzzle, they have a grid of music notation, which can be used for reading practice.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can read them the "right way," as in read each beat from left to right. Or, for more crazy fun, you can read the lines backwards. Or you can read the columns going up or down. There are so many different combinations and ways to interact with the completed puzzle grid! It's a surefire way to keep kids curious and engaged while reciting rhythm syllables!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-79771861537840467862017-03-07T11:26:00.000-05:002018-02-11T10:24:08.081-05:0031 Days of Rhythm: Prepare Quarter Notes and Eighth Notes using In the Hall of the Mountain King<div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fj_cbyKC3kg/WL7d35v01VI/AAAAAAAABVI/0J7lFVhmEecEx0IGvQG9NWCyDIbzOn2jgCLcB/s1600/mountain%2Bking%2Bheader.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fj_cbyKC3kg/WL7d35v01VI/AAAAAAAABVI/0J7lFVhmEecEx0IGvQG9NWCyDIbzOn2jgCLcB/s640/mountain%2Bking%2Bheader.png" width="620" /></a></div><br /><br />This has to be one of my favorite pieces of music to use in my teaching. I love to use classical pieces that my students immediately recognize. They are so much more engaged when they've heard the piece in their lives already.<br /><br />In this piece, there are just so many great musical concepts just waiting to be unpacked: tempo, dynamics, orchestral instruments, storytelling, pitch, and of course, rhythm. The clear rhythmic motive in this piece is so catchy and accessible for even my youngest students.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RTgMX2IyqsA/WL7eiYMTmoI/AAAAAAAABVQ/dBVFauNrByYXrc8rEztkJFn_V6T2HNkJQCLcB/s1600/fb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RTgMX2IyqsA/WL7eiYMTmoI/AAAAAAAABVQ/dBVFauNrByYXrc8rEztkJFn_V6T2HNkJQCLcB/s400/fb.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />For our MIOSM blog series, I am sharing how I use this piece to prepare my young students for quarter note and barred eighth notes. Here are a few different tried-and-true ways to use it:</div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">1. One of my favorite ways to introduce the piece is to play a recording of it while dramatically telling them the story of Peer Gynt’s attempt to flee from the trolls. I think that storytelling is one of the most overlooked aspects of our craft. It is arguably the oldest form of human expression, and I love being able to get my students' attention and help them hone their aural skills by telling them stories.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #999999;">(If your school and administration is super open-minded, perhaps you could also play them <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r__Dk4oWGJQ" target="_blank">this terrifying video</a>?&nbsp;Just kidding. Don’t show this video unless you want angry parents calling you demanding to know why you showed their child this demonic video in music class.) &nbsp;</span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Anyway, while I tell them the story, I begin chanting “tiptoe, tiptoe, tiptoe, troll” to the rhythm while our hero tries to escape. When the tempo and dynamics increase, I change it to “run run, run run, run run, troll!” It doesn’t take long before all of my students are chanting it along with me. Most are also singing along to the melody.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">2. In a previous blog post, <a href="http://mrstanenblatt.blogspot.com/2014/10/listening-lessons-three-ways.html" target="_blank">Listening Lessons Three Ways</a>, I shared an awesome tool that was given to me by a former teacher: she calls it her "Marauders Map". It is actually two long paper rolls (they are a few feet wide and look great up on a chalkboard or dry erase board.) I start with the iconic notation and then when I'm ready to actually present quarter and eighth notes, I'll put the other one up side-by-side to compare.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aBcKgTT2buw/VEa8McJ-Y5I/AAAAAAAAAEE/sto32bc45ts/s1600/IMAG0592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aBcKgTT2buw/VEa8McJ-Y5I/AAAAAAAAAEE/sto32bc45ts/s400/IMAG0592.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br />3. In case you don't want to make your own map, here is a free printable/projectable one that I created using iconic notation:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-URGfmGRODvo/WL7KOJWo-KI/AAAAAAAABU4/F8E2mK9HggsIvzhrWbGm8uQ0I7k6m3BOwCLcB/s1600/mountain%2Bking%2Bmap.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-URGfmGRODvo/WL7KOJWo-KI/AAAAAAAABU4/F8E2mK9HggsIvzhrWbGm8uQ0I7k6m3BOwCLcB/s400/mountain%2Bking%2Bmap.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />4. Another fun activity to do with “Mountain King” is compare it to Mary Had A Little Lamb. I challenge my students to see if they can sing the lyrics to “Mary Had A Little Lamb" to the melody of "Mountain King." The same can also be done using "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and it's fun to try and do the movements faster and faster with the accelerando in the piece.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">5. One of the things that makes "In the Hall of the Mountain King" so accessible for students is the fact that it is so pervasive in popular culture. It's been covered and re-recorded by a number of popular artists and it is frequently heard in TV and movies. I've been told it is sampled in the song "Hair Up" from the new Trolls movie (how appropriate given the subject matter.)<br /><br />No matter the source, there is a good chance that your students will recognize the tune when they hear it in class, and that is a great way to get them engaged in the lesson!&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-26461508805263781152017-01-31T17:37:00.001-05:002017-01-31T17:37:50.596-05:00And the Zazzle winners are...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Congratulations to the three winners of my <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/mrstanenblatt*" target="_blank">Zazzle</a> Pin-to-Win contest! If you were a winner, check your email for the next step to claim your prize!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="3fc7e1385" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3fc7e1385/" id="rcwidget_pkqc0u66" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script><br /><br />Thanks for participating!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-16477937389005218452017-01-18T13:56:00.000-05:002017-01-18T13:57:00.234-05:00Music on Wheels: The School is Your Classroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As a teacher on a cart, it can be hard to do all of the folk dances, play parties, and movement activities that are crucial components of a music curriculum. I recently <a href="http://tptmusiccrew.com/beyond-gonoodle/" target="_blank">guest posted on the TpT Music Crew Blog</a> about some fun, new ways to incorporate movement into the music room. But how can we manage to do all that when we don't have a nice open music classroom? I think the solution to this problem requires a slight change of perspective: instead of thinking that you don't have a classroom, think of the entire school as your classroom!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yqd4aCFiJYA/VeEAw1rp9yI/AAAAAAAAAok/cn_r4gl-P30/s1600/logo.png" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>The School is Your Classroom</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am in the middle of preparing sixteenth notes with my third graders and we've been gradually learning more and more moves to the song "Old Brass Wagon." Today I wanted to teach them "promenade," which for this song would involve them crossing hands with a partner and then walking in a big circle.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I walked into their classroom and saw the teacher had rearranged all of their desks into rows for an upcoming math assessment. I sighed and momentarily considered ditching my plans to do that dance and considered teaching something else instead. However, after collecting my thoughts and thinking about how important it is that they get this movement experience, I got to work. The kids and their teacher were at lunch, so it was just me in the room. I moved all 20-something desks over to one side of the classroom so that we would have enough space. Was it a pain in the rear? Yes. Do I regret it? Not at all.&nbsp;</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.vickers-willis.com/html/squaredancelearntodance.htm" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bIZhp6OHdoQ/WH-5WkPpwPI/AAAAAAAABS0/i_s3DidEFWUgmo_-eQrH-CzPYOf-0NZXgCLcB/s1600/promenade2.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.vickers-willis.com/html/squaredancelearntodance.htm" target="_blank">Promenade, Vickers-Willis.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of course, with more advanced notice I could have recruited some student volunteers to move the desks over and help me adapt the space to suit my needs. However, I made a decision to do the dance today no matter what.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It can be so easy to get discouraged when teaching on a cart situation because it feels like you have nowhere to go. Instead, I've learned to change my perspective and realize that I can go wherever I think will best meet my students' needs! When we are dancing in a longways set, we go make our two rows in the hallway! When we need to make a big circle, we do it wherever we will fit. A few Halloweens ago, I had a class of fifth graders learning the Thriller Dance in the middle of the library because it was the best space available at the time.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Today, when one of the third graders walked into the room and saw that I had moved all of their desks to the side, she looked at me suspiciously. "Mrs. Tanenblatt," she asked, "did you get permission from our teacher to move the desks?" All I said to her was, "I'm a teacher at this school, too. I don't need permission."&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of course, I have developed a good enough rapport with most of my colleagues at this school that I know I don't need to ask permission for that kind of thing. It's safe for me to just go ahead and do it and "beg forgiveness" later if I messed up where desks or chairs were supposed to go. I strongly recommend making sure you've had conversations with your colleagues about your intentions if you're going to start teaching in random places and rearranging furniture. I've found that a simple "heads up" email is usually more than enough to make it clear that you have a job to do and will need to make some adjustments to the space in order to do it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What's the most "creative" place in the school you have taught?&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-54418982954682506652017-01-15T20:56:00.000-05:002017-01-15T20:56:10.643-05:00Introducing Mrs. Tanenblatt on Zazzle!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hello, everyone! In my last post, I hinted that I would have a fun announcement on my blog soon. So here it is: I opened a <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/mrstanenblatt*" target="_blank">store on Zazzle</a>!&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/mrstanenblatt*" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qpXR0LqsezI/WHwhSa5lvjI/AAAAAAAABR4/xcOHlCVM-YUseS8pbyve1nzym91FFOk0QCLcB/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-01-15%2Bat%2B8.26.09%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you're unfamiliar with <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/mrstanenblatt*" target="_blank">Zazzle</a>, it's a huge online market place where I'm excited to be selling some products for music educators!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/dark_rainbow_leggings-256549254293356888" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yRtxOOXI1Zg/WHwhufkdWSI/AAAAAAAABR8/jUob9PIhsjMjZQQoc6ZEbNiOpMqU4D_1wCLcB/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-01-15%2Bat%2B8.28.03%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/love_music_button-145408517881128193" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EIx8qcWyRuo/WHwh8DLvF6I/AAAAAAAABSA/2BaDKbH-TTwRcQO6a0E2yy-bGrqr40wTgCLcB/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-01-15%2Bat%2B8.29.04%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a>&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/music_teacher_mug_customizable-168703975520178698" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q917cFn5Gck/WHwiQ7CifdI/AAAAAAAABSE/en22Th2z-8I8SnEF00GH4AZBhDlNf1dcwCLcB/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-01-15%2Bat%2B8.30.27%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/where_words_fail_music_speaks_poster-228942986731059682" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bQRwRX9ZwVI/WHwkKE4OncI/AAAAAAAABSY/zsmxsmW0vb01CRJt3661HI6QceMJ31W_gCLcB/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-01-15%2Bat%2B8.38.18%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a></div><span id="goog_1362927090"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To celebrate the launch of my new store, I'm hosting a giveaway of one of my new products: <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/music_teacher_bumper_sticker-128274210983333090" target="_blank">music teacher bumper stickers</a>!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/music_teacher_bumper_sticker-128274210983333090" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y45CMmXiHCw/WHwjEuKKnzI/AAAAAAAABSM/8R-hgVxwjDw82V7994hX8fc4MaYs5MUrgCLcB/s400/20170114_181159.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have THREE separate bumper stickers to give away, so I'll be selecting three winners from the people who enter using the rafflecopter form at the bottom of this page. To enter, you will need a Pinterest account (plus bonus points you can earn from other social media profiles.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For details about how to enter the giveaway and a little backstory on my store, please check out the following video:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/x-1zNKUn-74/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x-1zNKUn-74?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I hope you like the options I have available in my store. If you have another idea that you don't see listed on there, please let me know and I'll try to design something to suit your needs as a music educator! You can email me, rdtanenblatt(at)gmail.com, and I'd be happy to talk to you more about your ideas.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In the meantime, please enter my giveaway to win a Music Teacher bumper sticker!&nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="3fc7e1385" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3fc7e1385/" id="rcwidget_pkqc0u66" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-74852896895198791712017-01-11T20:50:00.001-05:002017-01-11T20:50:13.474-05:00Introducing the TpT Music Crew<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Have you heard the news? There is a new collective of Music Sellers on Teachers Pay Teachers! We call ourselves the <a href="http://tptmusiccrew.com/" target="_blank">TpT Music Crew</a>, and we are working together to collaboratively bring you the best resources for your classroom. If you hop on over to our site right now, you'll see that we're about to hit the road and travel to three music teaching state conferences this winter. If you live in the Southern US, you might want to go see if we are going to be coming to a convention center near you!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xoKicwHZjfc/WHbgJIH1uoI/AAAAAAAABRg/u950jkAgZKwsltTknqJDkQ4BJOL3IeIugCLcB/s1600/tptmusiccrewlogo1_temp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xoKicwHZjfc/WHbgJIH1uoI/AAAAAAAABRg/u950jkAgZKwsltTknqJDkQ4BJOL3IeIugCLcB/s320/tptmusiccrewlogo1_temp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And if you're not in the South, you can still subscribe to our newsletter and follow our social media to get helpful teaching tips and great promotions. And did I mention that we also have a <a href="http://tptmusiccrew.com/meet-crew-rachel-tanenblatt-music-mrs-tanenblatt/" target="_blank">blog</a>? If you check out the most recent blog post right now, you might see someone you recognize! (<a href="http://tptmusiccrew.com/meet-crew-rachel-tanenblatt-music-mrs-tanenblatt/" target="_blank">Spoiler alert: it's me</a>.)&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hope you're as excited about this new venture as I am! But don't worry: Music With Mrs. Tanenblatt isn't going anywhere! You can still read my blog for some of my very favorite teaching ideas and reflections. In fact, stay tuned for a fun announcement and giveaway some time in the next week or so...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Until then, have a great week!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-22508133663641591892016-11-15T05:00:00.000-05:002016-11-15T05:00:06.885-05:00Why I Teach Music<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rqjhh-A7_wg/WCkilh-tBWI/AAAAAAAABPQ/1MH7audBeq43a2pVW2uMsKSpRv8aW0D6wCLcB/s1600/15078722_951856122418_934033080857962949_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rqjhh-A7_wg/WCkilh-tBWI/AAAAAAAABPQ/1MH7audBeq43a2pVW2uMsKSpRv8aW0D6wCLcB/s320/15078722_951856122418_934033080857962949_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />I am so happy to be posting about such an important subject this week. This is something that has actually been on my mind a lot this school year and I’m excited to be able to share my personal experiences along with some fabulous other bloggers. I’ve chosen to share some photos from my personal Instagram account to illustrate this post. Make sure to read all the way through to the end to find out the details about the giveaway!<br /><br /><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 400px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="background: url(data:image/png; display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div></div><div style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMPjJmTBcQw/" style="color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Freude, schöner Götterfunken Tochter aus Elysium! wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!</a></div></div><div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A photo posted by rachel t on <time datetime="2016-10-31T21:48:44+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 31, 2016 at 2:48pm PDT</time></div></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script></div><br /><br />I am currently in my fifth year of teaching, which means I am still a relatively new teacher. In college, they told us that most of us would not last longer than five years teaching in the public schools. As I approach that deadline, I can understand why some people would feel that way.<br /><br />Teaching music is a hard and often thankless job. Many of us balance our regular teaching responsibilities with the added stress of preparing concert programs and special events in the school. We spend our planning time working individually with students and going to meetings to learn how to better meet their needs. We teach hundreds of children every week and have to figure out how to share the joy of music with them. Hopefully we do so in a way that will motivate them to continue listening to, performing and creating music for the rest of their lives.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"But what is it that makes us keep coming back? For me, it is the same reason I started in the first place: I love making music!"</b></span></blockquote>However, despite all of the stressful and challenging factors I just mentioned, we keep going. We return to the trenches day after day. But what is it that makes us keep coming back? For me, it is the same reason I started in the first place: I love making music! To me there is no greater joy than learning a new piece and performing it in front of an audience.<br /><br />When I first moved to the Baltimore area and started teaching, my school responsibilities overwhelmed my life. As a brand new teacher, I spent every spare minute after work and on weekends planning lessons and searching for the best ways to reach my students. Now that I have at least a few years under my belt, I feel more confident in my daily teaching responsibilities. I am able to spend my time outside of school taking care of myself and doing something that I truly love.<br /><br />I have started a new professional venture this year that has reminded me why I wanted to be a music teacher... I joined the Baltimore Choral Arts Society!<br /><br /><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 400px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="background: url(data:image/png; display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div></div><div style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLr3E9Uhz6n/" style="color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">You'd think that after making music all day, I wouldn't want to go after work and do it all evening. Yet somehow, this is the highlight of my week!</a></div><div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A photo posted by rachel t on <time datetime="2016-10-18T01:10:12+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 17, 2016 at 6:10pm PDT</time></div></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><br /><br />It’s by far the best decision I’ve made to improve my personal outlook and improve my teaching. I am going to rehearsals every week and performing regularly with ensembles like the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. I am learning new, challenging repertoire as well as singing choral standards like Orff’s Carmina Burana and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Every rehearsal and performance is a reminder of why I do what I do: because music is a powerful emotional and communicative force.<br /><br />The more time I spend perfecting my craft outside of school, the more confident I feel in teaching music to my students. I feel renewed and refreshed. I love being able to tell my students about my rehearsals and performances because it shows them that teachers are lifelong learners. I also love being able to invite my friends and family to come hear my concerts and share my artistic endeavors with them.<br /><br /><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 400px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="background: url(data:image/png; display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div></div><div style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMMkK39B4AR/" style="color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">The view that never gets old</a></div><div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A photo posted by rachel t on <time datetime="2016-10-30T17:59:55+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 30, 2016 at 10:59am PDT</time></div></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script> <br /><br /><br />Singing with Choral Arts has also motivated me to do some self-care by staying conscious of how I use my voice during the school day. Since I am singing semi-professionally I need to take good care of my instrument and practice good vocal hygiene. I am paying much more attention to how I conserve my speaking and singing voice and I use amplification while teaching. Most importantly, I am trying my best to stay properly hydrated! This is so important for people who use their voice constantly.<br /><br />For me, singing with Choral Arts has been exactly the reminder I needed of why I teach music. I’d love to hear about why you, my dear readers, are in the music education field! Share your story on social media with this hashtag:<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><b>#whyiteachmusic&nbsp;</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span>Don't forget to include this link back to my blog so that others can enter, too!<br /><br /><a href="http://bit.ly/whyiteachmusic"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">http://bit.ly/whyiteachmusic</span></a><br /><br />If you comment on my post here or share it on social media, you will be entered into a giveaway to win the following prize:<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gwu0ZPFWH_c/WCkWC7A0WpI/AAAAAAAABPA/lXqLONnwqsouEhwTec7CoBLyaiH3AWAvgCLcB/s1600/whyiteach.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gwu0ZPFWH_c/WCkWC7A0WpI/AAAAAAAABPA/lXqLONnwqsouEhwTec7CoBLyaiH3AWAvgCLcB/s400/whyiteach.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><ul><li>A water bottle to help you make sure you stay hydrated while you’re teaching</li><li>Some Mozart chocolates because every teacher needs a little pick-me-up.&nbsp;</li></ul>Good luck!<br /><br /><br /><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="6c0061f79" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6c0061f79/" id="rcwidget_b4uoxu7k" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-30508298375549092022016-10-25T16:05:00.001-04:002016-10-25T16:05:51.572-04:00Spooky Books and MORE for Halloween<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hello all and happy October! I'm shocked to say that this is my first blog post of the 2016-17 school year. It's been a crazy busy year for me because this is my first year teaching chorus at one of my schools. Much to get organized and many things to be learned (by the students and me!) I'm also very busy after school and on weekends now because I have recently started singing with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society. It's been a whirlwind of rehearsals and performances, but the thrill of making music at such a high level with some amazing musicians makes it all worthwhile. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All that being said, I couldn't let October slip by without sharing some of the fun new Halloween&nbsp;things I've been doing in my class this month! If you want to read about some of last year's Fall-O-Ween inspired lessons, <a href="http://mrstanenblatt.blogspot.com/2015/10/favorite-fall-lessons.html" target="_blank">check out this post</a>.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll start off with some great books that have gotten me through this Halloween season. (Please note that some of&nbsp;these are affiliate links to Amazon and I receive a small commission on purchases made through them.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ndzzcolr2BI/WA-11R12EaI/AAAAAAAABNk/0CPBU4uvYgATEY3EmJ8eHzPzf6Yn25aFwCLcB/s1600/spookybooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ndzzcolr2BI/WA-11R12EaI/AAAAAAAABNk/0CPBU4uvYgATEY3EmJ8eHzPzf6Yn25aFwCLcB/s640/spookybooks.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last year one of the books I mentioned was <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Little-Old-Lady-Afraid-Anything/dp/0064431835/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1477425598&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+little+old+lady+who+was+not+afraid+of+anything" target="_blank">The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything</a>. (The lesson on this one practically writes itself... each of the spooky objects can be assigned to a different instrument or body percussion for endless creative variations!) <a href="http://mrstanenblatt.blogspot.com/2015/10/favorite-fall-lessons.html" target="_blank">Check out my post from last year to see more</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My next new book, <a href="http://amzn.to/2dTDdUD" target="_blank">The Haunted Mansion</a>,&nbsp;was something that I stumbled upon while on vacation with my family in Walt Disney World this summer. For those of you who don't know,&nbsp;I used to work for WDW as a part of the Disney College Program, so I go back and visit as often as I can! My niece, who is five years old, loved The Haunted Mansion attraction and I found this gem in the gift shop. It includes beautiful illustrations of each phrase of the song, along with&nbsp;a CD of the original ride soundtrack&nbsp;sung by Earl Ravenscroft (who, incidentally, is stuff of film/TV legend... voice of Tony the Tiger, singer of "You're a Mean One, Mister Grinch." Look him up!) I used this book to discuss high sounds and low sounds with Kindergarten. We talked about Ravenscroft's unique&nbsp;voice and compared it to some other voices we hear.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last month when the Scholastic&nbsp;book fair rolled through town, I came across this Pete the Cat version of the<a href="http://amzn.to/2dGsbPp" target="_blank"> Five Little Pumpkins</a>. I've often used this song as a fingerplay with PreK, Kindergarten, and first grade. I was so excited to add the book to my lesson this year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My last new addition this year is <a href="http://amzn.to/2eOezT3" target="_blank">Saint-Saëns's Danse Macabre</a>.&nbsp;I often play a recording of this piece and have younger students dance or move with scarves and imagine the storyline. With older kids I will have them complete a listening guide while the music is playing. Now I'm excited to be able to read this book, which is based on the true story of how the composer came to write the piece of music. Did you know that Danse Macabre originally had lyrics? What a great way to discover more about the history of a piece! I'm planning to read this to second grade and up later this week.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>&nbsp;... Check back later this week when I'll be sharing a few more of my favorite spooky activities!</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-17650212504924798962016-07-06T09:17:00.004-04:002016-07-06T09:17:50.327-04:00July Small Goals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"July, July, July, it never seemed so strange..."</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.yellowbrickroadblog.com/2016/07/july-small-goals.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m-CqVhbVCmw/V3ak_bigByI/AAAAAAAAE1Y/tk-48foMea8ABhcSy7de6XBwQ959aZwCgCK4B/s400/small%2Bgoals%2Bbutton.png" /></a>&nbsp;</div><br />I can't believe we're in the month of July already! It feels like summer just started and already I'm making plans for the new school year. I'm once again linking up with <a href="http://www.yellowbrickroadblog.com/2016/07/july-small-goals.html" target="_blank">The Yellow Brick Road Blog</a> to share my small goals for the month.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><ul><li><b>Get my <a href="https://www.donorschoose.org/MrsTanenblatt?utm_source=dc&amp;utm_medium=tp&amp;utm_campaign=facebook&amp;utm_content=teacherprojectposted&amp;rf=page-siteshare-2016-07-teacher_profile-teacher_3448068&amp;challengeid=20719304&amp;active=true" target="_blank">Donors Choose project</a> funded</b><br />Thanks to <a href="http://caldwellorganizedchaos.blogspot.com/2016/07/teacher-tuesday-new-ideas-for-upper.html" target="_blank">this great blog post by Elizabeth Caldwell</a>, I was inspired to try and get keyboards for my elementary students. This week, Donors Choose is matching any donation up to $100 as long as you <a href="https://www.donorschoose.org/MrsTanenblatt?utm_source=dc&amp;utm_medium=tp&amp;utm_campaign=facebook&amp;utm_content=teacherprojectposted&amp;rf=page-siteshare-2016-07-teacher_profile-teacher_3448068&amp;challengeid=20719304&amp;active=true" target="_blank">enter the code LIFTOFF when you donate</a>. So, do any of my readers have a rich uncle who wants to donate to my music program? ;)</li></ul><div><br /></div><ul><li><b>Finish my online course</b><br />I'm taking a reading course that's required for my certification this summer. The course is supposed to go until the second week of August, but I'm trying to finish it off a little bit early so that I can...</li></ul><div><br /></div><ul><li><b>Prepare for my trip to Disney World!!!</b><br />For those of you who don't know me personally, I am a HUGE Disney person. In fact, when I was in college I spent a semester working in Walt Disney World as part of the WDW College Program. <br /><br />I was an attractions cast member, which means that I worked on one of the rides. 10 points to anyone who can tell what attraction I worked on...<br /><br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ndw5K_UW6MQ/V30DL222UzI/AAAAAAAABB4/Jyq0QuAlbds8B1OmFMcIYjWNH9Aq8XWagCLcB/s1600/34950_1340782844809_4658874_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ndw5K_UW6MQ/V30DL222UzI/AAAAAAAABB4/Jyq0QuAlbds8B1OmFMcIYjWNH9Aq8XWagCLcB/s320/34950_1340782844809_4658874_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br />Working in Disney World was such an amazing experience... if you know anyone college-aged who is looking to spend a semester doing something a little different, I would highly recommend he or she apply for the program.<br /><br />My oldest sister did the college program about ten years before I did and went on to work full time for the parks for the several years. So you could say that Disney is sort of in our blood. We're going on a family trip in a few weeks and taking my two nieces. To say that I'm excited would be an understatement!!!</li></ul><div>Thanks for reading my July small goals. If you want to share yours, head on over to <a href="http://www.yellowbrickroadblog.com/2016/07/july-small-goals.html" target="_blank">The Yellow Brick Road</a> and link up.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-90499802965135112902016-06-17T11:56:00.000-04:002016-06-17T11:56:12.171-04:00End of School Random Song Generator<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, we made it! Summer vacation is upon us here in Maryland! For those of you who still have a week or more remaining, don't despair: now is the time for fun review activities. Time to celebrate all of the great learning that has taken place in your classroom over the course of this past school year. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I wanted to share a review activity that was very successful in my music room for the past two weeks: the random song generator! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5U136P9GFh8/V2P6X3T71jI/AAAAAAAAA_c/qEEyshuGpQMwBzHcBLpjFIx1bKkncfrNwCLcB/s1600/Random1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5U136P9GFh8/V2P6X3T71jI/AAAAAAAAA_c/qEEyshuGpQMwBzHcBLpjFIx1bKkncfrNwCLcB/s320/Random1.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I used the Smart technology random name generator and plugged in the names of the most popular songs, games, and listening activities for each grade level.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sVME0aagvjE/V2P6X7EQ9QI/AAAAAAAAA_g/VQijRtMfQE4iw0C7pCRZBwGdR6iVg7UwACLcB/s1600/Random2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sVME0aagvjE/V2P6X7EQ9QI/AAAAAAAAA_g/VQijRtMfQE4iw0C7pCRZBwGdR6iVg7UwACLcB/s320/Random2.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />In class, I had a student (this can be a good behavior incentive for unruly classes during the last week) come up and press the "select" button. It will then randomly pick a song for you to sing. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vpO5991Zj94/V2P6Xz1Y8JI/AAAAAAAAA_k/ed6moZ3KdUMTKL3ZQRahUf33BCfbWRIGACLcB/s1600/random3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vpO5991Zj94/V2P6Xz1Y8JI/AAAAAAAAA_k/ed6moZ3KdUMTKL3ZQRahUf33BCfbWRIGACLcB/s320/random3.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I did this with PreK up through 2nd grade and I'm so happy with how it turned out! I'm happy to share this SmartNotebook file with you; to put in your own songs, simply double-click each song title. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B93N7bQMW6HZS1c5djdETC1LZ2s/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Download here!</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-5981212211881619942016-06-02T17:55:00.000-04:002016-06-02T17:56:40.081-04:00June Small Goals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.yellowbrickroadblog.com/2016/06/june-small-goals.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IVrl4kv3Pm4/V1Cpj6m6NUI/AAAAAAAAA_A/heLQJgGageoXgDvUNTnvxyl1jq5zHd5FwCLcB/s400/june%2Bsmall%2Bgoals.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy June everyone! I can't believe it's that time of year already. It feels like this school year has flown by! In my county, we have just 10 more precious days with students before summer vacation... when did that happen???</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm linking up with <a href="http://www.yellowbrickroadblog.com/2016/06/june-small-goals.html" target="_blank">Jennifer from The Yellow Brick Road</a> to share some small goals for the month of June....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ol><li>Finish off the school year with a bang!<br />I can't wait to implement my end-of-year review centers next week and enjoy seeing all the progress my students have made this year!</li><li>Plan, plan, plan this summer<br />As teachers, we are so busy during the school year that when summer vacation finally rolls around, I often feel like I need to maximize my time so that I can see all my friends, tackle home improvement projects, and get all of my other school work done. For this summer I bought a new Creative Year planner from Michaels so that I can write down all my plans and really make things happen.</li><li>Hop in the pool :)<br />We're opening the pool tomorrow afternoon, so naturally, this is a big priority for me!</li></ol><div>I hope your school years are wrapping up smoothly and that you have some good things in store for the month of June, as well!<br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-70441257488401621162016-05-03T23:42:00.000-04:002016-05-03T23:43:16.855-04:00Happy Teacher Appreciation Day 2016!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To all of my fellow teachers out there "in the trenches" as we finish up our school year: Happy Teacher Appreciation Day! We are in the home stretch now. Here in Maryland, we go until mid-June, so I haven't quite made it to the end-of-year-review stage yet, but I'm already starting to plan what activities I will be doing to help my students celebrate their learning.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Keep reading to get the link to download a new free end-of-year review activity that you can use with your students!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PJQAOwHCVC8/Vylthc9K1MI/AAAAAAAAA-U/plH7sGWw9HM7PLH1SswZ-syTxfJWmzvUQCLcB/s1600/IMAG0055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PJQAOwHCVC8/Vylthc9K1MI/AAAAAAAAA-U/plH7sGWw9HM7PLH1SswZ-syTxfJWmzvUQCLcB/s400/IMAG0055.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love doing review centers during the final weeks. I usually set up one center for each of the major units we've studied during the school year: rhythm, melody, harmony, form, and timbre. If you follow my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/music-with-mrs-tanenblatt" target="_blank">Teachers Pay Teachers store</a>, then you already know that I love games that use clothespins. In a recent trip to the grocery store, I happened to find a pack of 24 multicolored plastic clothespins and I just knew that I had to create a game to put them to good use.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Instrument-Family-Clothespin-Clip-Teacher-Appreciation-Day-Freebie-2537061" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UCVXQo_iwtE/VylsF3_MmSI/AAAAAAAAA98/EiOgSwIY6Gw_VjxNOSGTsp4UZKc4SqPowCLcB/s1600/Instrument%2BFamily%2BClip%2Bthumbnail.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I created <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Instrument-Family-Clothespin-Clip-Teacher-Appreciation-Day-Freebie-2537061" target="_blank">Instrument Families Clothespin Clip</a> so that students can sort the families of the orchestra according to the colors of the clothespins. If you don't have multicolored clothespins already, you can use a marker to color regular wooden clothespins. Or if you'd like to purchase a set, this set on Amazon is similar to the one I found in my local grocery store. (Please be advised that this is an Amazon affiliate link and I will receive a small commission from purchases made through this link.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=muswitmrstan-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B012UY8RM6&amp;asins=B012UY8RM6&amp;linkId=980e3f575cf12a974d5ccc8451227b8b&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just like any other clothespin activity, the most important thing to remember when assembling it is that you want your paper to be on a sturdy backing. I'd recommend printing on a thicker paper like cardstock. If you don't have that available, you can do what I did and glue the game card onto a piece of cardboard. I just took the side off a cardboard box and trimmed it down to size.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O81uzO8E4GA/Vyls24jetEI/AAAAAAAAA-E/byxMmjAL1nkmcfzuVMYY5nlbacJQ0jqzwCLcB/s1600/IMAG0054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O81uzO8E4GA/Vyls24jetEI/AAAAAAAAA-E/byxMmjAL1nkmcfzuVMYY5nlbacJQ0jqzwCLcB/s320/IMAG0054.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KJ30m_40FQk/VyltWh5BdgI/AAAAAAAAA-M/4wlU4Cd-NgIO3scfIUcVWfevnMO4d4N6wCLcB/s1600/IMAG0056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KJ30m_40FQk/VyltWh5BdgI/AAAAAAAAA-M/4wlU4Cd-NgIO3scfIUcVWfevnMO4d4N6wCLcB/s320/IMAG0056.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Once I bring it to school tomorrow morning, I will also run it through the laminator to help ensure that it lasts a long time. I'm looking forward to adding this resource to my arsenal of activities for the end of the school year and I hope you enjoy using it, as well!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-61758902333019460402016-03-21T13:30:00.000-04:002016-06-28T10:59:52.686-04:00Putting the A in STEAM through Composition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This past week I had the privilege of attending our school's STEM night for the first time. This is an annual event for our students and families. Classroom teachers present information to parents about math strategies and websites they can use at home. Our STEM teachers present about technology and creative problem-solving skills that they use in their classroom. </div><br />Arts and music teachers rarely ever attend this particular event, so I'm proud that the STEM teachers asked me if they could include the fun new game <a href="http://composeyourself.thinkfun.com/" target="_blank">Compose Yourself</a>&nbsp;that I've been using with my classes. I gladly volunteered to attend and man the station!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--hnP2pzkCPw/Vu7T5vzZuvI/AAAAAAAAA84/jIIareVT-6M0KgessrP-OANCKpCNb2mFg/s1600/stem1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--hnP2pzkCPw/Vu7T5vzZuvI/AAAAAAAAA84/jIIareVT-6M0KgessrP-OANCKpCNb2mFg/s400/stem1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I first learned about this game when someone posted about it in the Music Teachers facebook group. I've been using it in different ways with different students. For younger kids, I've been using it as a whole group activity on the SmartBoard. With my older kids, I have them figure out how to play the patterns on xylophones and/or take them to the computer lab to create their compositions online.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T8bb767gLsA/Vu7TscmqjAI/AAAAAAAAA80/zw4yXX_HE1Ymb_DLe2r_M9yfhezEdEBzQ/s1600/compose%2Byourself.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T8bb767gLsA/Vu7TscmqjAI/AAAAAAAAA80/zw4yXX_HE1Ymb_DLe2r_M9yfhezEdEBzQ/s400/compose%2Byourself.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>In order to play this online composition game, you need to purchase the cards ahead of time. I purchased mine from <a href="http://amzn.to/1PkJvEy" target="_blank">Amazon</a> and have included a link if you would like to get it for yourself! (Note: this is an <a href="http://amzn.to/1PkJvEy" target="_blank">Amazon affiliate link</a> and I receive a commission from purchases made through this link.)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=muswitmrstan-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B00W3SREPG&amp;asins=B00W3SREPG&amp;linkId=dfc564bf4809493022836eaf5cc677bc&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;It comes with a deck of 60 cards, each with one measure of melody, that can be flipped upside down or turned over to create endless melodic combinations. Once you pick your cards, you can input them into the Compose Yourself website and hear your melody played back (with optional harmonization by a full orchestra) and then you can further edit it until it sounds the way you want it to.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6esmz3Vg8M8/VvAu3MvMFXI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/3FGvEw6Tpg0ngxoTEGEXrhRK4-KzZHWaQ/s1600/stem2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6esmz3Vg8M8/VvAu3MvMFXI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/3FGvEw6Tpg0ngxoTEGEXrhRK4-KzZHWaQ/s400/stem2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />At STEM night, I set up a table with some chromebooks and had my copy of the game cards ready to go. It was so great to see the kids' faces light up as they heard what their composition sounded like after it was played back. And it was also great for their parents and teachers to see how we integrate technology into music class!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-41276828686241917752016-02-29T22:23:00.000-05:002016-02-29T22:25:21.044-05:00Music Education Blog Carnival : March 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hooray for March!!! March is my favorite month of the year for a few reasons: my birthday is this month, it's Music in Our Schools Month, and spring break often falls in this month, as well! And this month, I have something else to be excited about:</div><br /><b>The Music Education Blog Carnival!</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yes, that's right, the blog carnival that you remember from past years is BACK and I am now running it from right here on my blog. Many thanks to the kind Justine Dolorfino for allowing me to take over as the new administrator. I decided to kick off the relaunch by hosting this month myself. If you want to host next month (or any upcoming month, for that matter) visit the <a href="http://mrstanenblatt.blogspot.com/p/music-education-blog-carnival.html" target="_blank">Blog Carnival</a> tab at the top of this page.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AxYbaV52G8M/VtUE6-y82iI/AAAAAAAAA7A/tQbM3W9BS3A/s1600/blogcarnival.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AxYbaV52G8M/VtUE6-y82iI/AAAAAAAAA7A/tQbM3W9BS3A/s640/blogcarnival.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are a few of the best links I've rounded up for this month:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><li><a href="http://makemomentsmatter.weebly.com/classroom-ideas/classroom-organization-save-space-and-sanity" target="_blank">Classroom Organization by David Row at Make Moments Matter</a><br />Every time I read David's blog, I feel like my organizational skills are grossly inadequate. Tape circle on the ceiling? Brilliant! And I am going to try his trick about moving the projector in my classroom TOMORROW!</li><li><a href="http://www.kodalyinspiredclassroom.com/2016/02/dont-let-that-kid-take-joy-out-of.html" target="_blank">Don't let "that kid" take the joy out of teaching by Lindsay's Kodaly Inspired Classroom</a><br />Sometimes it seems like my classroom is full of "those kids." I have the type of personality to fixate on the things going wrong in my class instead of the things that are going right. Lindsay beautifully reminds us that we have the power to control how we react to that kid and how it can change our entire outlook.</li><li><a href="http://www.yellowbrickroadblog.com/2016/02/some-love-coffee.html" target="_blank">Some Love Coffee by Jennifer at The Yellow Brick Road</a><br />Full disclosure: My first reaction when reading this blog post was the awesome kitty in her mockup photo. But after moving on past the feline, I read a wonderfully thorough lesson plan using a song that I'd never heard before! I love how Jennifer includes printables, teaching strategies, and lesson plan templates every time she posts about a new song. It's got everything you need to teach the song right now.</li><li><a href="http://elementaryetudes.blogspot.com/2016/02/teddy-bear-time.html" target="_blank">Teddy Bear Time! by Christine at Elementary Etudes</a><br />Can you say adorable? I have used beat buddies with my kinder kiddos before but I never thought about building a whole unit around teddy bears. She includes helpful tips for acquiring and storing the bears and then lists a whole host of activities that your students will absolutely love.</li><li><a href="http://musicwithmrsdennis.blogspot.com/2016/02/mallet-wrapping.html" target="_blank">Mallet Wrapping by Music With Mrs. Dennis</a><br />I consider myself pretty confident with crafts, but I'd never even considered wrapping my own mallets. This post makes it look so easy! And those rainbow mallets? What a superb incentive!&nbsp;</li></ul><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hope you enjoyed this month's installment of the Music Education Blog Carnival! </div>Remember: if you want to host, <a href="http://mrstanenblatt.blogspot.com/p/host-blog-carnival.html" target="_blank">please check out the details here</a>.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-58475793476356092712016-01-27T11:25:00.001-05:002016-02-05T18:51:12.217-05:00Valentine's Day Pencil Toppers: A 400 Facebook Follower Freebie!<span style="text-align: left;">I checked my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mrstanenblatt" target="_blank">facebook page</a> yesterday and realized that I made it to 400 followers! I'm so grateful to have people following my facebook page, since that's where I announce the release of most of my new products and announce every time I've written a new blog post. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mrstanenblatt" target="_blank">Following me on facebook</a> is the best way to keep in touch. Since I've made it to 400 followers, I decided to create a fun freebie for valentine's day!</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X3wLRqOHIxU/VqjsjiOOo2I/AAAAAAAAA5s/qBKNdLK5d7M/s1600/VDaypencil.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X3wLRqOHIxU/VqjsjiOOo2I/AAAAAAAAA5s/qBKNdLK5d7M/s640/VDaypencil.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>All you need to do is buy a class set of cute valentine's day pencils and print enough pencil toppers for everyone (Each sheet has 16 toppers.) <br /><br />When I made these at home, I had some kid-friendly pencils lying around already, but you can get a class set of pencils fairly cheap on Amazon.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>When you cut out the toppers, make sure you carefully cut along the gray lines to make the slit where the pencil will go. I printed on regular paper, but if you can get these printed on cardstock they will be even more durable!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vjNTuxw6JnM/VqjsjuG95AI/AAAAAAAAA5o/fqq1K1CZBdY/s1600/vdaypencil2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vjNTuxw6JnM/VqjsjuG95AI/AAAAAAAAA5o/fqq1K1CZBdY/s640/vdaypencil2.png" width="422" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ready to get started? Download the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-Pencil-Toppers-2353292" target="_blank">freebie file</a> from my store here:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-Pencil-Toppers-2353292" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6NmYQ91_5xY/VqjsfXg38RI/AAAAAAAAA5g/vr4HJAzy-nA/s400/cover.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks for following!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-5372053391410357172016-01-17T14:16:00.000-05:002016-01-17T14:16:48.273-05:00Weekly Planning Checklist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Whether I'm planning my music lessons on a weekly, monthly, or long-term basis, I always start the process by asking myself one question: <i>what do I want my students to get out of this?</i>&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I know that for some kids, their experience in general music may be their first and last opportunity to study "high quality" musical repertoire. That means it is my responsibility to make sure that they are leaving my class with a well-rounded knowledge of music and are having fun doing it.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've whittled down my core values of what makes up "high quality" music-making to include the following seven things: folk songs, foreign language songs, contemporary/pop music, classical masterworks, folk dances, improvisation and composition. So when I plan out my weekly lessons, I try to make sure that at least one of my grade levels is doing each of the things on this list each week.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E8oVQw7gcck/VpvoUBgGKPI/AAAAAAAAA5M/g_OJ2W5KOUg/s1600/planning%2Bchecklist.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E8oVQw7gcck/VpvoUBgGKPI/AAAAAAAAA5M/g_OJ2W5KOUg/s640/planning%2Bchecklist.png" width="452" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For instance, this week my third graders learned a folk dance (Paw Paw Patch) while my fifth graders studied Mozart's Rondo a la Turka. My first graders sang several folk songs using the pitches so mi and la, while my kindergarteners improvised/composed rhythm patterns using ta and ti-ti. My fourth graders watched <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTLAx3VDX7g" target="_blank">this super fun video of the Star Wars theme</a> on Jimmy Fallon, and my second graders sang the African greeting song, Sorida. Next week, each grade will do something completely different from the checklist!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I use this checklist as a reminder of what's important to me and what I know my students will love. I helps me focus my planning on the micro level so that when I look back at the school year on the macro level, I can tell that my kids are getting a well-rounded musical experience in my classroom.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I know that every teacher's values are different, and I'd be interested to hear what you would add or subtract to this list. Let me know in the comments!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-84649915805468495472016-01-11T19:58:00.002-05:002016-01-11T19:59:08.357-05:006 New Activities Using Flashcards in the Elementary Music Room<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ah, flashcards. Some music teachers love 'em, others can't stand 'em. I happen to enjoy using flashcards to review rhythmic and melodic concepts with my students. However, when we use flashcards in my classroom, we are never <i>just</i>&nbsp;reading flashcards. I've put together a list of six ways that I use flashcards to inspire fun and creativity in my music class:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DtWsAyKxGUM/VpQ_LjT3VBI/AAAAAAAAA48/JMrWkWmfaJo/s1600/flashcards%2Binfographic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DtWsAyKxGUM/VpQ_LjT3VBI/AAAAAAAAA48/JMrWkWmfaJo/s640/flashcards%2Binfographic.png" width="450" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Fly Swatter</span></b><br />This activity is fun for kids and you can be a little bit competitive with it! Attach several flashcards to your chalk or dry erase board. Divide the class into two teams and have one volunteer from each team stand in front of the board. Give each volunteer a fly swatter. The teacher* then reads one of the flashcards out loud. Whichever volunteer swats the correct flashcard first wins a point for his/her team.<br /><br />*To increase student engagement/participation, you can assign another student the task of reader.<br /><div><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Big Circle</span></b><br />Arrange your flashcards on the floor in a big circle. (You should either have one for each student or half as many if you would like your students to work in pairs.) Have each student or pair stand in front of a flashcard and read the notes. Ring a bell or chime to signal for every student to move clockwise to the next flashcard and read it.<br /><br />Anchor yourself at one flashcard and this can be an easy way to <i>take a subtle assessment</i>.</div><div><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Heads Up</span></b><br />For this game, the teacher holds a flashcard above his or her forehead so that all the students can read it. Instruct the students to clap or sing the notes on the card. If the students recite it clearly and accurately, the teacher should be able to identify exactly which notes were on the flashcard.<br /><br />To <i>differentiate</i> this activity, have stronger students play the teacher role and try to identify the notes. This makes a great center or small group game.</div><div><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">4. Project on an IWB</span></b><br />There are limitless options when it comes to electronic flashboards on your interactive whiteboard. You can find great videos on YouTube that have rhythmic playalongs to familiar songs. You can also get a ton of review games on <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/music-with-mrs-tanenblatt" target="_blank">Teachers Pay Teachers</a> that make reading flashcards fun and interactive.<br /><br />Assign students to be the "pointer" and the "mouse clicker" to incorporate more jobs in the classroom.</div><div><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">5. Memory Game</span></b><br />Display several flashcards. The teacher randomly picks two or more flashcards and recites them one after another. Students try to identify the patterns and arrange them in the correct order.<br /><br />This can also be a fun <i>hands-on activity</i> if you have index card sized flashcards. You can give a stack to each student or group so that students can arrange them on their own.</div><div><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">6. Composition Inspiration</span></b><br />Coming up with a composition from scratch can be intimidating for young musicians. Try displaying rhythmic flashcards and asking students to assign a pitch for each beat for an easy melodic composition.<br /><br />You could also display a number of flashcards and give students the option of which ones they would like to use and arrange them in whatever order they like.<br /><ol></ol>-----------------------<br /><br />I hope some of these ideas have inspired you or refreshed your memory with some great ways to use flashcards in the music room. If you need flashcards to get you started, I have a huge bundle of <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Winter-Rhythm-Flashcards-BUNDLE-2241357" target="_blank">winter-themed flashcards</a> available in my store right now. You can also see my entire <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Music-With-Mrs-Tanenblatt/Type-of-Resource/Flash-Cards" target="_blank">Flash Cards</a> collection to check out more options for the rest of the school year!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-4556992909306148222016-01-10T22:06:00.001-05:002016-02-05T18:51:29.343-05:00Plan for Success At Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For tonight's <a href="http://caldwellorganizedchaos.blogspot.com/2016/01/plan-with-me-sundays-january-2016.html" target="_blank">Plan With Me Sunday</a>, I'd like to share a few ways I plan for success outside of the school day.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am the kind of person who craves <i>structure</i>. Whenever I go away on a vacation, I have to clean the whole house first because if I come home and the house is messy, I will be SO stressed out. The same rule applies during the work week. If I have a long, tiring day at school, I feel so much better to come home to a place with order and structure. It helps me feel refreshed and able to do my best.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'd like to share two ideas today of ways that I plan at home:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--nkIWvcLasw/VpMT9Amt2aI/AAAAAAAAA4c/n3Nhu0t0kxA/s1600/IMAG1682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--nkIWvcLasw/VpMT9Amt2aI/AAAAAAAAA4c/n3Nhu0t0kxA/s640/IMAG1682.jpg" width="361" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1. Meal Planning</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I like to cook, but I'm not always keen on cooking dinner every single night. I have to admit that I've gotten into a horrible rut with my husband: we both come home from work exhausted and neither one of us has the mental energy to plan and cook a nutritious meal. We talk halfheartedly about food we could eat at home and then often we end up ordering in or going out to eat. It's a huge strain on our budget and super unhealthy.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Therefore, I'm going to work very hard this year to keep up with my meal planning. The idea is to plan your entire week's worth of dinners on Sunday. What I usually do is start by scouring Pinterest and watching a dozen <a href="https://www.facebook.com/buzzfeedtasty" target="_blank">Tasty</a> recipes to decide what I want to try that week. Then I go grocery shopping and write out my meal plan. It really helps keep me accountable when I have my meals already written out for me. When possible, I will pre-cook certain meals on the weekend, too. That makes my life so much easier on those crazy weeknights.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Busy-Teacher-Meal-Planner-FREEBIE-2278687" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://ecdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Busy-Teacher-Meal-Planner-FREEBIE-2278687/original-2278687-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I wanted to share this freebie with you to help you plan your meals this week! To make my meal planner, I printed <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Busy-Teacher-Meal-Planner-FREEBIE-2278687" target="_blank">this template</a> and put it in a regular 8x10 picture frame. Then I can just write on it with dry erase marker every week.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UhIl9_-cNrY/VpMT9AbpzWI/AAAAAAAAA4g/_XHRuSrm0Wo/s1600/IMAG1680.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="361" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UhIl9_-cNrY/VpMT9AbpzWI/AAAAAAAAA4g/_XHRuSrm0Wo/s640/IMAG1680.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">2. Workout Planning</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you read my New Years goals blog post from a few days ago, you'll remember that one of my goals was to organize the bonus room in my basement. I'm proud to say that my husband and I have made some good headway in here! The room used to be packed wall-to-wall with boxes of things to unpack and sort. Now I'd estimate that we cleared about 70% of the stuff out of that room! And we donated a LOT of it- the local thrift store must love us!&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can see in the photo above that we still need to find a good way to store my husband's guitar and vintage computer collection... but I've made some progress in unpacking and organizing my workout gear and I am really excited to be able to use this space as my little home gym.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I decorated my corner with some motivational signs and I hung up all of my race bibs and medals. The thing that I'm most excited about is my new <a href="http://amzn.to/1SIvxCo" target="_blank">dry-erase calendar </a>that I'm going to use to keep track of my workouts for each month.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When I was training for my first half marathon, I was following an online workout plan that laid out exactly which days to run which distances, which days to cross train, strength train, and rest. Now that I've run a couple half marathons I'm not following a pre-set plan but instead I am going to start planning out my months on my own.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've pre-selected the days that I want to attend cardio classes at the gym, which days are for strength training, treadmill runs, etc. I'm hoping this will help me just like my meal planner: because I've already written down what I'm supposed to do that day, I have no excuse not to do it! It will keep me accountable. I'm going to put a little check mark on each day that I accomplish my goal.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hope that these two ideas help you with planning at home. I truly feel that when I'm more organized in my life at home, I feel better. It sets my mind at ease and I am free to do a better job teaching during the school day.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Don't forget to check out <a href="http://caldwellorganizedchaos.blogspot.com/2016/01/plan-with-me-sundays-january-2016.html" target="_blank">Plan With Me Sundays</a> and see some other awesome planning ideas!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-67847099625175291632015-12-30T23:28:00.000-05:002015-12-30T23:28:30.539-05:002016 Goals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy New Year! I can't believe another year has come to an end. That means winter break is about to come to an end, as well. I'm thinking ahead to the new year and planning for good things to come during the second half of this school year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I think ahead to the new year, I am making several goals for myself, both personally and professionally. I like to call them goals rather than resolutions because a goal is something that you <i>achieve</i>, versus a resolution which is something you <i>intend to do</i>. It's a subtle difference but I've heard that calling them goals can have an impact psychologically. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm linking up with some fabulous music teachers, hosted by <a href="http://www.mrsmiraclesmusicroom.com/2015/12/2016-new-years-resolutions.html" target="_blank">Mrs. Miracle's Music Room</a>, to share my goals/resolutions for 2016.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QVUdU4cTWvM/VoQ_aNWl8tI/AAAAAAAAA3c/JYsP21J6IRM/s1600/2016%2Bresolutions.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QVUdU4cTWvM/VoQ_aNWl8tI/AAAAAAAAA3c/JYsP21J6IRM/s400/2016%2Bresolutions.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><li><b>Personal: Organize the basement</b><br />For regular readers of my blog, you'll already know that my husband and I bought our first house in 2015. Renovating, cleaning, and organizing it has been a great adventure. Unfortunately, it seems that every time we organize one room, the extra things that don't belong end up down in the basement bonus room. So one of my goals for this year is to organize it all and make the room into a livable space.<br /></li><li><b>Health: Get my steps in</b><br />I received a Fitbit Charge HR for the holidays, so I am very excited to use it as a tool to track my progress as I focus on eating well and exercising more. The recommended number of steps per day is 10,000 so I am going to push myself to get to that number every day. I'm actually very eager to get back to school and see how many steps I get on days when I'm teaching folk dance or pushing my cart around from class to class.<br />&nbsp;</li><li><b>Classroom: Review/Refine musical concepts</b><br />Before winter break, I spent a good amount of time singing holiday songs and doing seasonal music activities. When my students come back in January, I plan to double down and review all the concepts that may have been pushed to the back burner in December.<br /></li><li><b>Blog/TpT: Consistency</b><br />I consider blogging to be both a reflective and energizing task. Whenever I blog on a regular basis, I am motivated to try new and interesting things in my classroom. My goal is to blog with greater consistency so that I can stay inspired and push through to the rest of the school year!</li></ul><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800846054248467305.post-38100975872330159702015-12-08T11:21:00.000-05:002016-02-05T18:52:59.740-05:00Christmas Books in the Music Room<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.lovethispic.com/uploaded_images/40050-The-Best-Way-To-Spread-Christmas-Cheer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.lovethispic.com/uploaded_images/40050-The-Best-Way-To-Spread-Christmas-Cheer.jpg" height="400" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.lovethispic.com/">www.lovethispic.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Music class in December: Probably the most wonderful time of the year! There are so many songs that my students are begging me to sing! (Who can say no when a student literally begs you to sing a song?)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Even though I'm Jewish, I love singing Christmas songs with my students... and I consider myself fortunate that I teach in a school where it's acceptable to mention religious holidays. With my primary students, I am reading at least one book with them for every music class until the winter break. (And since school goes until December 23rd for us, I have plenty more classes to teach!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lFqr6BP_Ukc/Vmb0sTsVVqI/AAAAAAAAA2M/oBXzu4OjcLo/s1600/IMAG1553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lFqr6BP_Ukc/Vmb0sTsVVqI/AAAAAAAAA2M/oBXzu4OjcLo/s400/IMAG1553.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love illustrated song books like these because there are many different ways I can use them....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><li><b>Read the story in a regular speaking voice</b><br />This is especially helpful when your voice is tired after a concert or sing-along!</li><li><b>Sing the song to your students while they listen and look at the pictures</b><br />This is a great way to introduce a new song, have quiet listening time, or just model good singing for your students.</li><li><b>Read and sing along to a recording of the song</b><br />I love using Bing Crosby and other famous "oldies" this time of year</li><li><b>Have the students sing it alone or in groups</b></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I particularly like <b>Silent Night</b> because of the lyrics. This book does not use the traditional hymn text. Instead, the lyrics are all about animals and nature, making this book a great option in a school setting where religious songs are not an option.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Santa Claus is Coming to Town</b> and <b>12 Days of Christmas</b> have very detailed illustrations that are great for discussion starters and playing a quick round of I-spy.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I always like to include songs in Spanish since my schools have a high population of native Spanish-speaking students. The bold colors and vibrant colors in <b>Feliz Navidad</b> are very appealing and my students want to read it again and again!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The illustrations in this version of <b>Frosty the Snowman</b> are different from the animated movie, which is what I like most about it. It's nice to show kids contrasting versions of a familiar story. Also, this book gets an A+ for including the "thumpety thump thump" verse at the end!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What other books do you enjoy reading to your students around the holidays?</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-re-RFq3Mvuc/VKiKRunuuZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ncEZS5TccM8/s1600/signaure15.png" /></div>Rachel Tanenblatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02943900021541756257noreply@blogger.com4